To Heal a Heart Guest Post

 5 Things to Know About the Hero and Heroine in “To Heal a Heart”

1.     Garrett and Blair both come from families with three children. Garrett is the oldest with two younger sisters. And Blair is the youngest with two older brothers.

 2.      While Garrett comes from a happy family and had an idyllic childhood, Blair’s family is best described as dysfunctional. She and her brothers have found that some hurts are difficult to put behind them.

 3.      Something Garrett and Blair have in common: compassion and a love of animals. Garrett found he couldn’t abandon a horse to sure death. He buys Harry at an auction despite his poor condition. Blair has rescued two horses. Stormy was a racehorse who could no longer race and was about to be euthanized, and Rainbow was abandoned at a riding stable when her owner went bankrupt. Blair couldn’t let either of them suffer or die.

 4.      Garrett spent ten years in the Marines until a suicide bomber in Afghanistan ended his career. Now he’s trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life.

 5.      Blair works as a veterinary technician, which is sort of like a nurse for animals. She’s often more comfortable in the company of animals than with people!

 TO HEAL A HEART on sale at Amazon for .99 cents – May 20 – June 3, 2022! Get Your Copy Today!

Garrett Saunders' world changed two years ago on a road in Afghanistan. Back home, he feels like a stranger. As he struggles to find his place in the world, he meets a horse destined for the slaughterhouse and a woman bent on rescuing the strays of the world, including him.

Blair Greyson moves to Masonville to look after her ailing grandfather and give her rescue horses a home. Right away she butts heads with a surly former Marine. Despite a rocky start, they come to an agreement: Blair will board Garrett's rescue horse and he'll help with repairs around her farm.

Garrett finds purpose working with Blair—and falls in love with her. But she's hiding a secret. Can she forgive herself and accept Garrett's love, or will she let guilt and regret continue to rule her life?

Excerpt:

He pushed himself to his feet, disconcerted by his unsteadiness. He made a few halting steps toward the gate as Blair ran into the yard.

“I forgot my sweater,” she said, grabbing the garment from the back of a chair and slipping it on. “It’s cooler than I thought. Are you sure you don’t want to watch the fireworks with us?”

“No, I—”

His words were cut off by a loud explosion, and his only thought was that he had to protect Blair. He grabbed her and threw her to the ground, covering her body with his. He was under attack. Why was Blair in Afghanistan? How could he keep her safe?

Through the chaos and noise he heard her muffled voice beneath him. “Garrett, you’re crushing me.”

He shifted his weight slightly. “Shh. I’m sorry. You have to stay down and quiet. I can’t let them hurt you.”

She stopped struggling. “Who’s going to hurt me?”

“Can’t you hear the mortar fire? I have to protect you.”

Her hand rubbed his back in gentle circles. “It’s all right, Garrett. It’s only fireworks. It can’t hurt us. We’re safe here.”

He lifted his head and looked around. He was in Cole and Lauren’s back yard in Masonville. There were no bombs, no shelling, no Taliban. He looked down into Blair’s face, into the pity in her eyes. He rolled off her, disgusted with himself.

Disgusted and scared. He was losing his mind.

Buy Links:

https://books2read.com/To-Heal-a-Heart

 

STRONG ENOUGH, book 4 in the Masonville Series, Coming Soon!

STRONG ENOUGH is available for pre-order now. The book releases June 22, 2022!

 Charlotte Saunders has a full life—a rewarding career as a nurse, meaningful volunteer work at a dog shelter, and family, friends and pets she adores. But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t forget the horrible event that’s haunted her for ten years.

A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Damon Greyson now helps others who have suffered trauma. His experience and intuition alert him to trouble in Charlotte’s past, and he wants to help her, if only she’d let him.

As they work together to help veterans suffering from PTSD and neglected dogs needing loving homes, their feelings for each other deepen. But when the trauma from Charlotte’s past roars back to life, both are forced to confront their painful histories—or die trying.

Buy Links:

https://books2read.com/Strong-Enough-by-Jana-Richards

 

Author Bio:

Jana Richards has tried her hand at many writing projects over the years, from magazine articles and short stories to full-length contemporary romance, paranormal suspense and romantic comedy. She loves to create characters with a sense of humor, but also a serious side.  She believes there’s nothing more interesting then peeling back the layers of a character to see what makes them tick.

When not writing up a storm or dealing with dust bunnies, Jana can be found pursuing hobbies such as golf (which she plays very badly) or reading (which she does much better).

Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband Warren. You can reach her through her website at http://www.janarichards.com

 

Social Media Links:

Website:  http://www.janarichards.com

Blog:  http://janarichards.blogspot.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/JanaRichardsAuthor

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/JanaRichards_

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/author/janarichards

Amazon UK Author Page:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B002DEVWWG

Newsletter Signup: http://janarichards.com/contact.html#newsletter

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2892274Jana_Richards

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jana-richards

Guest Post with Author Jana Richards

Thank you for hosting me and letting me tell you about my Masonville series. STRONG ENOUGH, the fourth and final book in the series will release on June 22, 2022, so I’m taking this opportunity to talk about the other books in the series as well.

From the beginning, I knew I wanted to write about overcoming problems and deep traumas, and I wanted to show how love might help heal those wounds—love from a romantic partner, of course, but also love from community, family, friends and even pets. And especially learning to love yourself. The characters in this series often come from a place of deep shame, and part of their healing is coming to believe that they are good, decent people who are worth loving.

In CHILD OF MINE, book one of the Masonville series, Lauren’s shame is that she becomes pregnant on the day of her husband Billy’s funeral when she sleeps with Billy’s older brother, Cole. Cole’s been her friend since they were teenagers, and they connected because of shared anguish and anger. But now that she’s pregnant, everyone in her small town assumes the baby is Billy’s. How can Lauren overcome her shame and tell the truth?

Lauren didn't intend to sleep with her brother-in-law Cole on the day of her husband's funeral. But now that she is pregnant, she's not sorry. Cole's given her a baby, a long-wished-for miracle. He's been her friend forever, though she never told him or anyone else how unhappy her marriage to his cheating brother was. And she's afraid to tell the small town that considered her husband a hero that the baby isn't his.

Cole's been in love with Lauren since he was sixteen. It kills him that everyone believes the baby is his dead brother's. All he wants is to claim the baby, and Lauren, as his own. Though she marries him, will Lauren's heart ever be his?

Lauren must tell the truth or risk losing Cole. Is her newly-discovered love for him greater than her fear of scandal in her hometown?

Here are Five Things You Need to Know About CHILD OF MINE:

1.    Cole and Lauren have known each other since they were teenagers when Cole tutored Lauren in chemistry. They stayed friends through the years, even after Lauren married Cole’s younger brother, Billy. And even though Cole has been in love with her all these years.

2.    Billy dies in a car accident, and Lauren comes back home to North Dakota to bury him. She’s angry and grief-stricken and filled with guilt. She had a terrible fight with her cheating husband before he died. Did their fight cause him to lose his concentration on that Georgia Interstate?

3.    Cole’s a veterinarian and Lauren is a bookkeeper. Cole helps Lauren get a job at his clinic as the receptionist/bookkeeper.

4.     Mia, a former girlfriend of Billy’s, also works at the veterinary clinic and is determined to cause trouble for Lauren.

5.    CHILD OF MINE is set in North Dakota. Though I live directly north of North Dakota on the other side of the 49^th parallel, both areas are part of the Great Plains of North America. I’m a true lover of the prairie landscape. To me, the endless skies and vast vistas are awe inspiring. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s boring!

 

Excerpt:

Cole wrapped her in his arms. He held her securely, whispering reassurances. “It’s all right, Lauren. Don’t cry. It’s going to be okay, sweetheart.”

 

She clung to him, her face buried against his neck. How wonderful to be held, to be touched. It had been so long—

 

What was she doing? This was Cole, her friend. She pulled away from him. “I’m sorry.”

 

“You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

 

She turned away and tried to wipe the tears from her face. After she got her tears under control, she made herself smile at him. “Do you remember the homecoming dance? The time I tripped in my new high heels and sprained my ankle?”

 

“Of course I do. You couldn’t walk, so I carried you from the school gym to Billy’s car, and he drove you home. I remember you were a lot heavier than you looked.”

 

She swatted his shoulder, hiccupping laughter mixing with her tears. “Very funny. I was trying to make a point.”

 

He wiped the tears from her cheek with the pad of his thumb, his dark eyes full of tenderness. “So what was your point?”

 

“You’re a good friend. You’ve always been there every time I’ve needed you, and here you are again. Thank you.”

 

He stared into her eyes, but said nothing. She couldn’t look away. He continued to stroke her cheek with his thumb, the tiny caress acting like a balm to her battered heart. She placed her hand on his cheek.

 

 “Cole.”

 

They reached for each other in mutual need. He pulled her against his chest, his mouth descending on hers in a hungry, urgent kiss. She sighed against his mouth, and he brought her closer. He wants me. It had been so long since someone had wanted her. Only her.

 

Buy Links:

CHILD OF MINE is on sale for .99 cents at Amazon from May 6-20, 2022. Download your copy today!

The Wild Rose Press ~ Amazon.com ~ Amazon.ca ~ Amazon.UK ~ Amazon.au ~ Amazon.de ~ BN

iBooks ~ Kobo (US) ~ Kobo (CA) ~ Google Play ~ Walmart ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads

STRONG ENOUGH, book 4 in the Masonville series, is currently available for preorder. Have it automatically delivered to your ereader on June 22, 2022!

Charlotte Saunders has a full life—a rewarding career as a nurse, meaningful volunteer work at a dog shelter, and family, friends and pets she adores. But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t forget the horrible event that’s haunted her for ten years.

A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Damon Greyson now helps others who have suffered trauma. His experience and intuition alert him to trouble in Charlotte’s past, and he wants to help her, if only she’d let him.

As they work together to help veterans suffering from PTSD and neglected dogs needing loving homes, their feelings for each other deepen. But when the trauma from Charlotte’s past roars back to life, both are forced to confront their painful histories—or die trying.

Buy Links:

Amazon ~ Amazon CA ~ Amazon UK ~  iBooks ~ BookBub ~ Goodreads

 

Author Bio:

Jana Richards has tried her hand at many writing projects over the years, from magazine articles and short stories to full-length contemporary romance, paranormal suspense and romantic comedy. She loves to create characters with a sense of humor, but also a serious side.  She believes there’s nothing more interesting then peeling back the layers of a character to see what makes them tick.

When not writing up a storm or dealing with dust bunnies, Jana can be found pursuing hobbies such as golf (which she plays very badly) or reading (which she does much better).

Jana lives in Western Canada with her husband Warren. You can reach her through her website at http://www.janarichards.com

 

Social Media Links:

Website:  http://www.janarichards.com

Blog:  http://janarichards.blogspot.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/JanaRichardsAuthor

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/JanaRichards_

Amazon Author Page:  http://www.amazon.com/author/janarichards

Amazon UK Author Page:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B002DEVWWG

Newsletter Signup: http://janarichards.com/contact.html#newsletter

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2892274Jana_Richards

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jana-richards